Senior officers to the Bridge
Paramount has released several stills from next year’s Star Trek movie. Of course, since I want everything on that big screen to be a surprise, I was able to resist checking them out…
… for all of about twenty seconds.
TrekMovie.com is the source website. I’m seeing some new Galactica influence on this bridge set, but interestingly, it’s as though Trek intends to take its bright future back from BG, thankyouverymuch. I’m thrilled to see this, this isn’t the rust-colored Ops of DS9, or the mood-lit bridge of the Voyager – this is a ship that’s Boldly Going.
Do my eyes deceive me? Abrams brought back the miniskirts, and tossed in short sleeves as well! In fact, the uniforms are remarkably similar to the old Theiss designs. I’m more and more pleased with the thought that this won’t be revisionist Trek, but Classic Trek for the 21st century. I think that’s a bit brave.
So, a quick poll, for those who clicked through the cut. As usual, feel free to discuss further in the comments:
I like the fact that they are pulling things from TOS. Since this movie is suppose to be before TOS then we should see things that were there. Having an all new set up and uniforms and everything would make me sad. I’m glad to see that someone who never watched Trek is actually doing some research as to not piss of the fans. I’m acutally looking forward to seeing this one. I hate to say this as a Trek fan (mostly TNG) but I had no desire to see the last movie.
I’ll go see it, because I’ve never missed a Trek movie in theater, even the First… Can’t say I LIKED all of them, but I’ve Seen all of them in Theater.
For a laugh, I was watching I Love the 80’s 3-D, 1987 the other day, and even Wil Wheaton was trashing Wesley Crusher; So funny to watch!
The ceiling looks too low, it feels like they’re in a sub, Enterprise-style.
Kirk looks like a royal hambone though, could be fun.
Looks cool, absolutely, but…I can’t get over this impression that Kirk should get up and start singing, a-la-Dr. Horrible…
In fact, that’s it, it looks like Captain Kirk’s Sing-Along Bridge.
“Brand New Stardate”?
“On the Risa?”
Lock filkers on target’s bridge…..steady, steady…..SING!!
I like the look. Let’s face it, if Gene Roddenberry had access to today’s technology, the face of Trek might have been vastly different. As it is, we have to remember that this is J. J. Abrams’ vision of Star Trek. I’m looking forward to seeing the new movie, and I’m planning to go into the theater with an open mind.
Zachary Quinto doesn’t look bad as Spock, either. He may be the next Nimoy, as far as Trek is concerned.
And as for filking – I’ll wait till I see the movie.
The last movie was just… okay. Hardly the worst of the series, but I just can’t say that you missed all that much. The last excellent film was certainly First Contact IMHO.
In general, I like the idea, and this bit “Abrams was insistent that every piece of equipment on the bridge serve a legitimate purpose — that they all have ‘functionality.'” is encouraging in terms of overall attitude.
I’m not really in love with all the “hotspot” lighting, though; some of it is faux-task lighting marginally positioned, but some appears to be doing nothing but causing distracting hotspots and reflections. The catch might be that it’s intended to be the “emergency” lighting, taking the bridge lighting from a cool, smooth, indirect look to a direct, multi-shadow, incandescent look under stress.
I don’t like the black-as-command offhand, it seems unlikely for both ceremonial and practical reasons. However, one can interpret the quote as this being *a* Captain’s uniform, as opposed to *the*, and combine with some of the away shots (shown climbing out of a drop pod on a planet) and hope that this is a stealth, environmental, or surface-encounter variant. The lack of obvious insignia is probably another sign it’s not the normal uniform; in most shipboard stressful situations, being able to identify senior people at a glance is important (it’s not like you have to worry about snipers).
On mini-skirts: My hope is that they take the approach that there are both skirt and pants options available for women as equally valid personal uniform choices. Shorts and short-sleeved polo shirts seemed to be a popular option for all genders in the shuttle long-duration missions, as another possibly relevant point, although in a zero-G setting still dominated by physical gadgets pockets were important. On a Trek universe large starship, for someone not on away missions, having no or minimal pockets might not really be that much of a disadvantage; what do they need to carry? They don’t need an ID card, or keys, or money/credit cards, and most people don’t need tools or writing implements (she is holding a stylus, but I’m thinking that goes with the console in a tablet-PC sort of way), likely no one on active duty needs medication on their person, etc.
The crew shot on movieblog.ugo.com (linked from the TrekMovie page) implies that the uniforms use the “colored overtunic atop black undershirt” construction seen in some old Classic episodes. So, maybe Kirk just temporarily lost the overtunic somehow. (He does have a bandaged hand in the bridge shot.)
And I’m with you, the female uniform should have the pants option if desired… there’s precedence for that in Classic, as well.
The bridge design kinda sucks, IMO. Yeah, OK, we needed to update the look from the 60s, but this looks less like a bridge and more like a reject of an Apple Store (lights toward the operator at eye level? c’mon…).
Also…the guy they cast for Kirk doesn’t look quite right for the part. A bit too slick.
Since Star Trek has a history with Apple going back to at least ST:TNG, as well as whatever movies the Okudas worked on, and the bridge of the NX-01 was entirely Apple powered, you may not be that far off.
My only complaint with Pine is that I think he looks more like Jeffrey Hunter than Bill Shatner (not that that’s a bad thing).
Classic Trek without miniskirts? Come on! Seriously though, the real military has optional skirts for current uniforms, so why not. Hemlines have just risen again. On the other hand, let’s not have Uhura wearing it on a landing party- she might scrape those gorgeous knees.
As for the bridge, I want to see a couple more pictures, but I’m not entirely sure I like the TRON-style circuit lights.
And yes, the flames are climbing on the Trek boards, but they would if Gene Roddenberry rose from the dead and declared, “I like it.”
The black outfit reminds me a lot of the not-complete uniforms that captains on TNG and DS9 wore all the time. My guess would be something similar.